The recent high-profile coverage of the Alliance & Leicester's findings on used car values certainly generated plenty of response around the trade. Although the original story looked like a potential threat to confidence the response from the trade press – including Fleet News – was excellent.

Having sought the views of CAP, BCA, Manheim and other specialists actually working day-to-day in the used market the underlying record was certainly set straight.

In the end, what started life effectively as a scare story enabled the underlying trade picture to be revealed industry-wide.